Normal cerebrospinal fluid histamine and tele-methylhistamine levels in hypersomnia conditions

• Published in: Sleep (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2012-10, Vol.35 (10), p.1359-1366
• Main Authors: Dauvilliers, Yves, Delallée, Nathalie, Jaussent, Isabelle, Scholz, Sabine, Bayard, Sophie, Croyal, Mickael, Schwartz, Jean-Charles, Robert, Philippe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence - cerebrospinal fluid; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence - physiopathology; Female; Histamine - cerebrospinal fluid; Histamine - physiology; Humans; Male; Methylhistamines - cerebrospinal fluid; Methylhistamines - physiology; Middle Aged; Narcolepsy - cerebrospinal fluid; Narcolepsy - physiopathology; Normal CSF Histamine and Tele-Methylhistamine Levels in Hypersomnia; Polysomnography; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
• ISSN: 0161-8105; 1550-9109
• DOI: 10.5665/sleep.2114

To determine the activity of cerebral histaminergic system evaluated by CSF levels of histamine (HA) and tele-methylhistamine (t-MHA), its major metabolite, and their relationships with hypocretin-1 levels in a large population of patients with hypersomnia and neurological conditions. sensitive liquid chromatographic-electrospray/tandem mass spectrometric assay was developed for the simultaneous quantification of CSF HA and t-MHA. ata were collected and CSF hypocretin-1 levels were measured using radioimmunoassay at the Sleep Disorders Center, Montpellier, France. CSF HA and t-MHA were measured in Bioprojet-Biotech, France One hundred fourteen unrelated patients with a suspicion of central hypersomnia underwent one night of polysomnography followed by the multiple sleep latency test. Sleep disorders were diagnosed clinically and using sleep studies: narcolepsy-cataplexy NC (n = 56), narcolepsy without cataplexy NwC (n = 27), idiopathic hypersomnia IH (n = 11), secondary narcolepsy (n = 3), and unspecified hypersomnia Uns EDS (n = 17). Fifty neurological patients without daytime sleepiness were included as controls. No between-hypersomnia group differences were found for CSF HA levels (median 708.62 pM extreme range [55.92-3335.50] in NC; 781.34 [174.08-4391.50] in NwC; 489.42 [177.45-906.70] in IH, and 1155.40 [134.80-2736.59] in Uns EDS) or for t-MHA levels. No association was found between CSF HA, t-MHA, or HA + t-MHA, sleepiness, treatment intake, and frequency of cataplexy. A slight negative correlation was found between age and HA levels. Further adjustment for the age revealed no significant HA levels difference between hypersomnia patients and controls. CSF histamine and tele-methylhistamine did not significantly differ between patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy and other etiologies of non-hypocretin-1 deficient central hypersomnias; these measurements, therefore, are not useful in assessing the etiology or severity of centrally mediated hypersomnia.